The first thing you have to understand about Spongebob: Kreature from the Krusty Krab is that the writers of the show have a rather odd sense of humor, and the writers of the game kept this. The second thing you have to understand is that much of the time I don't get that sense of humor at all. The whole concept of a sponge who “lives in a pineapple under the sea”, has a snail that barks as a pet and a... well... whatever Patrick is as a best friend, just escapes me. But my kids really like the cartoon, and I can usually put up with it in short doses, so I thought “what the heck, let's try the game”. By about the third world (out of 8 according to the box), both my son and I were throwing in the controller... literally in his case.First the gameplay and such. The storyline of the game starts out with Spongebob in bed, but somehow ending up with his bed turning into an odd race car thing. He's trapped in some sort of nightmare. Trust me, it's a nightmare. The first thing you have to do is pretty simple. You have to win the race with this bed-car, and the way to do that is hold down the X button and steer with the left analog stick every now and then. In the next cut scene, Plankton comes along and blows Spongebob's driver's license out of his hand. Your next mission then is to try to get it back. This area acts as a tutorial for the rest of the game. It will teach you a move, and then you have to practice it to advance. Through this level you can't really get lost because just after you learn a new skill, you'll see you license jump ahead of you, and there are little coins to collect along your path. The controls are pretty typical console game controls. You use the left analog stick to move, right to adjust your camera. The X button makes you jump, and with the square you interact with objects. Do all these things right and learn the controls, and you will eventually finish this level and get your license back. Then it's off to race Patrick (and some others) on the same track as you raced before. Again, pretty simple, though this time there are a few more things to dodge and some powerups to try to get.
In between each of these playable moments there's a short scene while the game loads. It's a nice touch, usually with a bad pun or two thrown in just to remind you have the humor level. For example, while one game board is loading, the announcer is trying to figure out if his microphone is on. You hear the squeal of feedback, and so what does the announcer say? You got it... “Nice feedback, (name of tech guy who's name I can't recall.” I admit it, I groaned. Spongebob has a good variety of skills, I have to admit. He learns how to stun opponents before hitting them with his “sand attack”, sprint at objects to cause them to move, jump, and last but not least, make wise cracks. In other words, I see the game as a pretty typical console type game. It isn't really difficult to pick up and play, there are not the 'twitch issues' I usually find in most games like it, so even my youngest (who is 5) can play with reasonable success. So with that all said, you might ask why I said we were throwing the controller. Well, here's the thing.
Spongebob: Kreature from the Krusty Krab is a rather boring game. The storyline progresses incredibly slowly, with no real sense to it. How Spongebob got to where he is in the first place is beyond us. And what his driver's license has to do with the Kreature, we still can't figure out. It just doesn't come together in a story that develops, at least not from what we've seen. So by the time we got to the third world, we were all so confused that it just didn't seem worth trying to repeat the same sections of game over and over when we failed to make a particular jump, or a certain run fast enough, just to see where the story went. Because, well, the story wasn't going anywhere that we could see.
I also have some difficulty with the graphics in some places. The backgrounds are too busy, with too much “stuff” in them to always be able to clearly see your goals. For example, in the races the “Z” coins that you're supposed to be collecting are green with a yellow letter on them. That same color scheme is used on boxes which you're supposed to avoid. Because the foreground you're heading to doesn't load very quickly, you can't tell until it is too late if you're heading toward something you want to avoid, or something you want to collect. There have also been points in the game where because of all that's on the screen at a given moment, it is hard to tell when or where to make a particular jump, or even if you have to jump over something rather than take another path. As far as sound goes, it is pretty typical of most games like it. After the first few times of hearing Spongebob or Patrick repeat the same phrase, you'll be hitting the “mute” button. At least, we were. But most of the time you can get through a particular level fast enough that these phrases only repeat two or three times, so it isn't incredibly annoying.
I asked all three of my kids if they would suggest this game to their friends. My oldest said that if his friend liked Spongebob, he would. My daughter, who doesn't like Spongebob herself, said she probably would because it isn't a bad game. My younger son thought his friend would like it because he likes Spongebob. Personally, I've seen a lot worse, so as a parent I'd say the same thing as my kids did. If you are a fan of Spongebob the TV show, then Spongebob: Kreature from the Krusty Krab will probably be something you'll enjoy. Just know that you'll play the game in small doses over a long period of time, because otherwise you'll find yourself in the same place we were... frustrated at the slow progress of the game, and confused by the storyline.
I’ve played computer games since college, addicted first to story type games like Might and Magic. I have 3 children who also love computer games. My oldest son is a typical kid who loves the challenge of pressing the right combination of buttons and levers on a joystick in just the right way to make something happens, and frequently gets frustrated with mom’s slow fingers. ;) We use computers for both education and entertainment, and sometimes even bribery for good behavior.
The “glory days” of computer gaming for me were when games like Spectre Supreme, Pirate’s Gold, the Might and Magic series, the original Prince of Persia… those sorts of games were coming out on a regular basis. Back then I owned a Macintosh and was a die hard Mac fan. I was one of the first in my area to buy an iMac and on it learned the joy of playing games on the internet like daily crossword puzzle and “mind bender” type puzzles. My first online RPG was given to me for Christmas the year EQ was released, and I was hooked from day one. I played EQ for about a year. I started playing DaoC during late alpha testing, and was hooked on it.. well, to be honest I still am. I’ve tried pretty much every MMORPG I can get my hands on, from big names like EQ, to more obscure ones such as Underlight. I’ve been writing for IMGS since the first DaoC guide, and find I love the challenge of learning a game and presenting what I’ve learned (and sometimes my opinions), to other players.
I’m not a very strong player as far as learning PvE or quick reaction times, so I tend to stay away from games where I’m pitted against someone else in a way that requires physical (rather than mental) response. I still enjoy story and puzzle games, and in a way that’s how I still approach online games. I would much rather spend hours working through a quest than 5 minutes in combat against another player. I still get lost in simulation type games, obsessing over them until I’ve gotten them beaten. And I like being able to sit down at the computer when I’ve got less than half an hour and playing through a few levels of a puzzle game. I tend not to like first-person shooter type games, or anything with person to person violence, so I steer away from them unless they are fantasy based settings. All in all, I enjoy computer gaming so much that my life feels incomplete somehow when my computer is down.
